stress reduction | wellnessrounds

This weekend I went to the beach (which is what we say in Texas, instead of “the shore”). Specifically, we went to North Padre Island so I could give a talk at the Texas Medical Association meeting, but we added a couple of days onto the trip so we could bird.

And boy did we “bird”…

I was introduced to birding by my parents as a child, but my spouse has become immersed in this world and has been a welcome guide and companion as I dipped my toes back into the waters (a pretty good metaphor since a lot of what we saw on this trip were shore birds).

If you are someone who has a high pressure job (like all the healers I know) and very little time (ditto), this may seem like a crazy suggestion… but there are three good reasons you should learn to bird (and then do it):

It’s healing.

What incredible beauty is around us and what a great way birding is to be present to it.

It erases differences.

I am absolutely certain that the people around us had many contradictory views of politics, religions, and all the other points of friction in our society. But none of that mattered. We shared the paths, showed each other birds hidden in the shrubs, and grinned together (a lot).

It reminds me of making a diagnosis.

Identifying a bird is a lot like making a diagnosis in medicine, except when it isn’t. I’m pondering the difference between diagnosis, identification, and discernment (more to follow on that after I think a bit more – i.e. in Part 2 of this post next week).

To make a “diagnosis” as a birder you use field marks, which are a lot like symptoms in medicine – the things you notice and consider before you make a diagnosis. In the case of the bird in the photo above… a bright blue bill with a black tip, a dark eye with a white ring, a slightly brownish long neck, a bluish tint to the head and body, a whitish tuft on the back of the high neck (we would say postero-superior in medicine), and the beautiful fluffy feathers hanging down from the back.

All of which adds up to a Tricolor heron in breeding plumage.

You don’t have to become a “bird nerd” (an accepted and even appreciated term in the community) to bird, but it’s worth learning to pay even a little attention to the birds around us, because it will get you outside, provide you with the dopamine surge you get with any hide and seek game (when you find the treasure), and surprise you with joy.

Here’s how to get started

Download Merlin ID
Get a pair of binoculars
Go outside
Listen, look up, and notice

Merlin ID

It’s hard to overstate how incredible this app is… even if you only use it every once in a while (and even if you have no plans to become a birder), you need to have this on your phone.

Binoculars

Borrow a pair, find a used pair, start with a cheaper pair, but be prepared to upgrade – you’ll need to have a decent pair of binoculars at some point.

Based on this review I ended up buying the Athlon Midas 8×24 binoculars, which I love. This particular set of binoculars seems to go on sale fairly regularly for WAY less than their list price, so shop around if these are the ones you decide to get.